Alberta’s new auditor general, Phil Peters, says he expects his investigation into a health-care contracting scandal to be complete by the end of this year
The province’s previous auditor general, Doug Wylie, finished his term in the spring, after Premier Danielle Smith’s government opted not to extend his contract
Wylie had offered to stay on for two more years and pushed to finish the probe that he had been working on for more than a year before his time was up
Peters took over the job in late April before the investigation was complete
It’s among multiple investigations, including by the RCMP, launched after the former head of Alberta Health Services made allegations of corruption in multimillion-dollar health deals
The allegations haven’t been proven in court, and a government-commissioned third-party report by retired judge Raymond Wyant found no evidence of wrongful interference by Smith, her ministers or staff
Peters said the procurement review remains a top priority for the auditor general’s office, and it’s trying to get it out as quickly as it can
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“The complexity of this work is unprecedented for our office, and it’s of extreme importance to Albertans. So we’re taking the care to complete the work fully,” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press
“We’re just seeking the full truth of what really happened.”
Announced in February 2025, the auditor’s work was to zero in on deals for private surgical facilities, pain medication from Turkey and COVID-19 personal protective equipment
Wylie said at the time it could extend beyond health-care organizations
Peters noted his office’s mandate allows it to dig deeper than Wyant, whose final report was released in October
Wyant had said his review was limited and that some unnamed individuals refused interviews or avoided answering questions
Unlike Wyant, Peters has the authority to compel records or subpoena witnesses to testify under oath
Peters said the work involves a “voluminous” amount of documentation, and his office has made additional requests throughout the process
“Each time we go through a set of documents, each time we talk to an individual, we’ll receive more documentation,” he said
He declined to provide details
The allegations that started it all are still winding their way through the courts as part of a wrongful dismissal lawsuit
Athana Mentzelopoulos, the former health executive, alleged she was fired for looking into questionable contracts and their suppliers
She said she was dismissed days before she was set to bring her findings to the auditor general in January 2025
The United Conservative Party government and Alberta Health Services, once the provincial health authority, have since said Mentzelopoulos was fired for incompetence
The Opposition NDP has long been calling for a full public inquiry to get to the bottom of the matter
NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi has labelled it the biggest government scandal in the province’s history
